Equal Access to Basic Public Services a Continued Priority

The State Council recently issued a plan for promoting equal access to basic public services during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, which underscores the need to ensure that the people get their chance to enjoy basic public services rather than simple equalisation.

The main goal of the plan is to further improve the basic public services delivery system by 2020, with new headway made in ensuring that the people enjoy their rights to education, employment, medical and senior care, housing and other respects. It also puts forward specific targets such as:

• Raising the coverage of nine-year compulsory education from 93% in 2015 to 95% by 2020;
• Raising the number of newly employed persons by over 50 million in urban areas by 2020;
• Raising the coverage of basic old-age insurance from 82% of total population in 2015 to 90% by 2020;
• Ensuring that over 95% of total population is covered by basic medical insurance by 2020.

The plan also puts forward policies and measures in the following respects:

• Establish the framework for China’s basic public services delivery system;
• Devise a checklist for basic public services that covers 81 service items in eight sectors, including public education, employment and entrepreneurship, social insurance, medical and health, and housing security.
• Put forward safeguard measures in different respects, including measures to accelerate public institution classification reforms, the development of “internet plus” services for the public good, the enhancement of financial security, and the strengthening of layout planning and land-use security.

See plan in Chinese.